


Once Upon an End

by kbug546



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-03
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-05-17 22:49:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5888284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kbug546/pseuds/kbug546
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi is keeping some secrets, but so is Eren. Will their marriage be ripped apart? Or can they figure out how to mend it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of tags! But honestly this story isn't really planned out (And that makes me nervous!) But, I just wanna see how this plays out! Thanks for anyone who wants to read!

**Chapter One**

_Once upon a time...That’s how every fairytale begins, right? But, that would be an ironic way to start out my story. You see...This isn’t a story about getting the boy. Getting the one. Getting that perfect man and why? Because I already have him. I already have the love of my life, but when one thing leads to another….Well...Let’s just say it doesn’t end well. So, maybe the correct start to this tale would be Once upon an end. Because this story...It’s not exactly a happy one...it’s about how I lost the boy.  
And this story starts out with a phone call._

It was friday evening and I was tired. I didn’t know how many paintings I painted this week, but it was more than my fingers and toes could count. But, to make matters better Levi was home! He was a doctor and wasn’t home very often, he was constantly on call. So, when the phone rang I didn’t think anything of it. I had no reason to be suspicious. I got up to grab the phone, but Levi quickly grabbed it. “It’s probably work.” He said quietly and took it to another room.

I sat back on the couch and let out a groan. I hoped he didn’t have to go back into the office. I ran a hand through my short brown hair and rubbed my eyes. I looked down at my stained pants, which Levi hated. But, I loved them--they showed all of my work. We were supposed to be watching a movie together soon--Just like Heaven--even though it made me cry everytime. “Eren! I have to go back into the office.” Levi told me as he came closer.   
“What!? Are you serious!? Can’t someone else do it!?”  
“Eren, no.” He gave me a look. The same look he always gave me when he thought I was being selfish. “I’m the best one at this.” He sighed like I was a child. Like it was a nuisance to have to explain this to me on a daily basis.  
“...But what about our movie?” I whispered, I knew it was a stupid reason, but it was all I had right now.  
“We’ll reschedule. Okay?” And now it was my turn to give him a look. That was code for, it was probably never going to happen. He would always be too busy.  
“I feel like I never get to see you anymore!” I didn’t mean to yell.  
“Eren, we go over this every day! I have to go to work and there’s nothing I can do about it! You think I like being away all the time!?” And he was yelling back. The same fight every day. The same words kept being said. I was sick of it.   
“L-Levi...I just...I’m sorry...I just...I fucking miss you!” His anger fell from his face and he held me close. I felt like this is the most contact we’ve had in a long time. I breathed in his scent and I hugged him back.   
“I miss you too, honey, but I have to go, okay?” He whispered gently. “I’ll make it up, okay?”  
“Promise?” I whispered back. But I didn’t want him to make it up. I just wanted him to be home. I wanted things to be better. I wanted us not to fight. I wanted it to be like it was when we first got married, with late night giggles and stupid jokes. And hugs and cuddles and lots of kisses in between. But most of all, I just missed him. I missed Levi being here. I missed knowing that he was always going to be there for me. I missed knowing that I was going to crawl into bed with him every night and wake up with him by my side. But, lately he’s just been growing more distant.

_I should have saw it coming. I should have known what was happening and what would happen in the future. But, I’m naive._

“I love you.”   
“I love you too, Eren.” Levi whispered back and when we parted he gave me a small kiss that would leave my lips tingling for hours to come.  
“Will you be home tonight, so we can sleep together?”  
“Heh, yeah, if they don’t let me leave by eleven I’ll kick their asses and tell them that I have a beautiful husband at home that needs my arms wrapped around him.” That made me smile and blush lightly. Normally after the fight he would leave angry and I would flop down on the couch and scream. This was a nice change of pace and I felt like I was getting closer to having us back to how we used to be. I just needed to keep trying.

_But, I was wrong. It wasn’t me who needed to keep trying. It was him._

We kissed again and I walked him out to his car and watched him drive away before going back inside. I went on Netflix and started watching a series to distract me from how lonely I was feeling. 

_If I remember that night correctly, I stayed up late and Levi didn’t end up coming home until after Midnight. By the time he had come home, I was already curled up in bed and the tears found their way out of my eyes again. But, hey, at least when I woke up in the morning he was there….Rolled away from me._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm so sorry that this chapter took me longer to get up! But, I hope you guys are enjoying this! I don't think this fic will be very long, but I hope everyone enjoys the feels!

Chapter Two

I was up and in the kitchen with a cup of orange juice. Levi went directly into the shower after waking up. I sighed and sat at the table. 

_I just...When we got married it was the happiest day of my life. Fuck all that anticipation leading up to the question. It felt like everyone knew he was going to ask except for me. But god when he finally did...It was something else._  
It was all out. We had a fancy dinner and everything. Everything was just perfect. We watched a sappy movie and cuddled and we played music and danced in the living room. I swear...My smile never left my face that night. Then finally he got down on one knee and proposed...And yeah, I started to cry.  
Levi was never one to go over the top. He liked things to be simple, but for me he said, he would give me the world. Heh, but now? Now he couldn’t even give me an hour of his time, or a minute or even a second. But, worst of all...He couldn’t even give me the truth. 

 

I was running a finger around the top of my cup and waiting for him to get out of the shower. I didn’t want to start a fight, but I wanted to know why he came home so late. He would have to leave for work soon, when he would be back, I had no clue. Sometimes he would get back early, just to be called to come back in. It was unfair.  
I glanced around at the walls and saw all the pictures of us. He was the one that wanted to take a lot of pictures. He wanted the memories. He wanted to show us off to anyone who asked. It made me smile, but I had to stop thinking about it before the tears started. We didn’t really take any pictures anymore.

_I’m biting my lip as I’m looking at the last photo I have of us together. I got rid of the rest and some days I regret it. I try to tell myself that we could still work out. Or that I miss him and need reminders. But...Looking at this picture that I keep hidden under my damn pillow breaks my heart. I see us smiling and how happy we were. How...how together we were….But...That just leads me to think of how we fell apart._

“So uh, what are we going to do for your birthday?” I asked him when he walked into the room. I wasn’t sure how to bring up what I really wanted to talk about. But, it was true, his birthday was coming up and we never had time to talk about it.  
“You know I don’t really like doing anything.” Yeah, that’s what he always told me. I tried not to roll my eyes.

_It was always the same thing with him. He never wanted to do anything. But, I would take him out anyways and he would tell me about how much fun he had. Or when we first got married or even before that it would be...Heh, great now I’m blushing._  
It would be birthday sex.  
I mean, he would always talk about how much he loved my body and the way it felt. He claimed he could never get enough.  
Heh….I don’t remember the last time he touched me like that. 

“Yeah, but I think I want to take you out anyways.” I smiled, “Think you can he that evening off?”  
“Eren…”  
“Levi, please? Can you try? It’s just one night and I want to do something special.” I pleaded and he stayed silent for quite some time.  
“Fine. Yeah, I’ll try, okay?” He gave in as he got himself a cup of coffee and sat across from me.  
“So…”  
“So?” He raised an eyebrow.  
“What uh...What time did you…” I took a breath, “What time did you get home last night? I tried staying up...But, I got really tired…”  
“Oh..Yeah, I’m sorry about that...I just…” He took a sip, “I got caught up at work.” He sounded distant. There was no ‘babe’ or even my name. Hell, he didn’t even call me a brat.  
“Yeah, heh, it’s fine.” I smiled. I didn’t want to fight. I didn’t. 

_I remember that feeling well. I never wanted to fight. Fighting would just be wasting our time together. What little time we did have...But…  
At least when we fought I got some sort or reaction out of him...I got some sort of emotion towards me…_

He checked his watch, “Hey, I’m gonna go. I’ll grab something to eat in the break room.” He stood up and kissed the top of my head. I wanted to pull him into a hug and just keep him there.  
“Oh yeah, yeah sure.” I smiled, I couldn’t help it.

_But, if I wasn’t so distracted by that small sign of affection I would have noticed that he left earlier than normal._

I watched as he got his shoes on and God, I acted like a school boy with that smile on my face. “I’ll see you tonight, right?” I asked, “I was looking forward to those cuddles.”  
“Of course, Eren. Tonight for sure.” He smiled back and left. 

_I had painted a lot of paintings that day and I ate all the meals by myself. He still wasn’t home when I decided to go to bed. But hey...When I woke up in the middle of the night, guess where he was? Yeah, he was in bed with me. And this time his arms were around me….His smell was encasing me. And that made up for him leaving early that day. It made up for everything, at least in that moment.  
But, it didn’t make up for it now. I ran my hand over his face in that stupid picture. I was tempted to kiss it, but thought that would be stupid. I looked at it and memorized it--as if it wasn’t already--and I brought my hands to the top of it. That’s when I started to tear it. I tore it to shreds--to match my heart. Then...In the trash it went, along with my feelings. Heh...Or at least I wished all my feelings when along with it. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I am so so so so sorry this took me so long to write! Like you can hate me! A lot of stuff has been going on, but I feel I'm finally in the right mind set to start writing again! I'm hoping to update this either weekly or bi-weekly. I will try my hardest! I really hope you enjoy this chapter, and hopefully I'll be able to write even better fics after this one

Chapter Three

When I woke up in the morning Levi wasn’t in bed with me, I was about to freak out until I heard the shower running. Well...I chuckled to myself...He always like showering together. He tried to tell me he hated it, but he loved washing my hair and body.

_He would always smile and laughed and call me a brat. He would tell me that it was because I couldn’t clean myself properly….I let the water hit my face. Now….I get to wash my damn self._

I snuck into the bathroom and started to take off my clothes. I was going to surprise him, it’s been awhile since we were able to shower together. I pulled the curtain back and he jumped and yelled. Which, honestly I should have expected. I probably gave him a heart attack. “Eren! What are you doing!? Stop!” He shouted and had his hand on his shoulder.

_At the time I didn’t find anything weird about it, but now….I should have saw that as my first sign._

“I’m going to shower with you!” I started to get in and he stopped me.  
“No, please stop. I’m almost done, I’ll see you in the kitchen.” I didn’t hide my disappointment from my face as I slowly stepped out of the tub. He pulled the curtain closed quickly as I started to dress myself. I didn’t get it, what happened to him? He would have loved that….  
After he met me in the kitchen, he sat at the table and sighed. “I’m sorry for that, I just...wanted to shower alone.”  
I wanted to say that he was lying, that he never wanted to shower alone, but I held my tongue. “Okay, yeah, I’m sorry…” I said quietly.  
“Hey, cheer up, I um, I got this weekend off for my birthday.”   
“Wait! Really!?” I won’t lie, that did put a huge smile on my face.  
“Yeah really. So, you can do whatever you want to do.”  
“Heh, what if I just give you sex?” I was teasing him and all he did was shrug and let out a light chuckle.  
“Then I guess I get sex for my birthday.”

_Yeah, sex is something he got._

“Hey, no, like I’m not gonna do that. I wanna do something like super super special. I still gotta beat you for the night you proposed.” I smiled, I wanted to outdo him.  
“Hmmm….” He wasn’t paying attention, he was checking his cellphone. “Eren, I gotta head in early. See you tonight.” He told me and gave me a quick kiss on the check before heading out. There he was again, being distant. He wasn’t really listening, he like won’t talk about our wedding or the night he proposed. Maybe it was just because he was stressed about work or something...That had to be it.

_Can I even start to explain how naive I was? Of course I thought it was work that was stressing him out. But it wasn’t. It was the lies he was keeping and me. I was stressing him out. I just didn’t know it--yet._

This day started out like any other day. I was able to paint more and sell a few more paintings. I was able to watch movies and made sure I ate enough food throughout the day. And then in the evening, yeah...I even went to bed by myself, like normal. But… what wasn’t normal was what happened the next morning. I woke up by myself.  
Levi was nowhere to be found. I checked the whole house twice, I even checked outside. His body and his car were nowhere in sight. I was getting worried, he had never done anything like this before. Where was he? Why wasn’t he home? Sure he worked late, but he was always here when I woke up. I ran back inside and I called his cell phone, it went to voicemail and it did that ten more times until he finally picked up. “What?” He asked.  
“Um...Why aren’t you home? Are you okay? I’m worried!” My heart was still racing and I was scared something would go wrong any second.  
“I’m fine, Eren really. It was super late last night and I could hardly stay awake, a coworker had me sleep at his place. I’ll see you tonight though, okay?”  
“Levi, what? You’re never that tired though. Where did--”  
“Look, Eren I really need to go, okay? I need to get ready for work. I’ll be home tonight.” Then he hung up. I held the phone tightly in my hand, my mouth slightly opened. I was confused and still worried about him. That had never happened before. And he wouldn’t even answer my question, he just hung up on me and he didn’t tell me he loved him….  
I was starting to panic about all of these things. What was really going on? I sat on the couch, I couldn’t let these thoughts get to me. His birthday was coming up this weekend and everything was going to go back to how it used to be. I needed to push these worries out of my mind.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took me so long to get up! But, I promise that if the last chapter isn't up by today it will be by tomorrow!

It was already Thursday. I already had his presents ready. I had bought him a new watch and I painted a portrait of the two of us. He had asked me to paint us on our honeymoon, but I never thought I’d be able to do him any justice. Levi was just too perfect. He was too perfect to be painted. But, with lots of practice, I was able to at least do him justice.

_I haven’t touched my paintbrushes since that time. Mikasa says that I’ll find my flow again, but I’m not so sure. That man broke me._

But, he was going to be back tonight. He managed to text me on a break and apologized for worrying me. I already knew what I was going to do for him tomorrow. I would wake up early and make us breakfast and we were going to cuddle and I would trick him into a water gun fight outside. I even learned how to play a song for him on the piano, I actually learned a few years ago. But, I would finally play it for him.

_I learned how to play, so that I could surprise him on our honeymoon. But, he ended up being the one to surprise me. He had composed a song for me. So, I never got the chance to play the song for him, not even on his birthday._

After I played him the song, I figured we would do whatever he wanted to do. Then we could make dinner together and we could slow dance and then I would give him his presents. I actually would need to go to Mikasa’s to grab them tomorrow morning. I didn’t want to hide them in the house, I was too afraid of Levi finding the gifts and ruining the surprise.

_But, who was I kidding? He didn’t care. He wouldn’t have even looked._

It was about noon when the door opened up. It made me jump out of my skin. “Levi? You’re home?” I asked as I paused Netflix. 

“Yeah, I figured since you were going to stay at Mikasa’s tonight that I would try to see you.” He took off his jacket and his shoes before he sat on the couch with me. I was smiling as I leaned on his shoulder.

“When do you have to go back to the office?” I gave his shoulder a small kiss through his shirt.

“In about two hours, I got the boss to extend my lunch this time.” He looked over at me and kissed my head. I cuddled in closer to him. 

“Levi, I’m sorry we’ve been fighting a lot. But, I planned out the whole day tomorrow. So, sleep in and relax and I really hope you have a good time.” I said quietly.

“Of course I’ll have a good time. I have a brat planning my birthday.” He chuckled and I lit up at the nickname that I hadn’t heard in such a long time. “Is there anything special I need to do?” He asked me.

“Hmmm you should probably wear clothes that you aren’t afraid to get wet.” I sat up and looked at him and he raised an eyebrow.

“My clothes are going to get wet? Eren Yeager, my brat of a husband, what are you planning?” He asked and moved so he was facing me. My heart was racing and I was seconds from sobbing. He hasn’t been this affectionate with his words in so long. It had been months since I’ve been called a brat. It’s been months since I’ve heard this playful tone of his or seen his smirk. God, I was falling in love with him all over again. I bit my lip.

“It’s a surprise...So I can’t tell you.” I told him playfully as I leaned forward and gave him a small kiss. I leaned away after, I was unsure of how far to push his good mood. I didn’t want to ruin it by asking for too much. But, I was met with a surprise. He smirked and leaned forward to kiss me again. He kissed me harder this time. I moaned quietly into the kiss and pulled him closer. I held onto him so tightly, as if I were scared of him disappearing at any moment. I started to run my fingers through his hair. He pulled me closer towards him. Then next thing I knew, we were in the bedroom. 

_He was so passionate. It was like we were newlyweds again. He held me close and tightly. He kissed me deeply and with so much feeling. Our bodies had moved like we were one. It was slow and passionate and in that moment I knew--or at least thought I knew--how much he loved me._

After words we laid there, I was on his chest. We were both still naked and glistening with sweat, but I didn’t mind and he pretended not to. We stayed like that, cuddling and not talking for about ten minutes. I got to just listen to his heartbeat and trace my fingertip gently over his chest. “Eren?” He whispered, as if he didn’t want to ruin the silence. It was like we were in a fantasy world and if one of us moved or were too loud, it would ruin it. It would break this bubble that I managed to make around us.

“Hmm?” I hummed to let him know I was listening.

“I love you Eren. I love you so much and I’m sorry.” He kissed the top of my head.

“Sorry for what?” I whispered, my voice almost broke. I was scared. His apology sent me into cold sweat, my heart froze and everything was moving so slowly. He didn’t answer right away. 

_I should’ve known he was lying by how long he took to answer me._

“That, we’re a mess and we need to shower. So, we’re going to need to stop cuddling.” He kissed my head again and it was like my whole being felt nothin but relief.

“Yeah, okay. Let’s get a shower.” I started to get up and head towards the bathroom and I looked back to see if he was following. But, instead he was just staring at me. “What is it?” 

“I just...I don’t know how I got so lucky to get a guy like you.” He whispered and he wouldn’t look me in the eyes, but he finally got up and we showered. He washed my hair and then we ate lunch and cuddled until he had to leave again. 

_He had made my day, and still, I’m unsure on whether he actually meant any of it._


	5. Chapter 5

Today was the day. It was Levi’s birthday. And yes, before my sister informed me last night that it was the middle of winter and a water gun fight would be a bad idea. I told her it would be fine, that we would go into the garage where it would be warmer. Or the basement, it was tile so Levi wouldn’t complain too much. I wasn’t going to let the weather ruin my plans. 

_But, the weather wasn’t what I had to worry about._

I grabbed the canvas carefully and the nicely wrapped watch. Which, embarrassingly my sister had to help me wrap. “Eren, tell Levi I said Happy Birthday.” She told me as she kissed my cheek, I was getting my shoes and coat on. “And slow down. You need to be careful. And be careful driving. And--”

“Mikasa, don’t worry! I got it, I promise!”

“Hey, I was going to tell you to have fun.” He smiled gently.

“Right, of course, we’ll have a great time.” I gave her a huge smile and went out the door. The drive was short and I made it home before I knew it. I quietly opened up the front door. I didn’t want to wake Levi, before I had a chance to make him pancakes. I placed the presents on the couch and I started to cook.

_Now, I wasn’t a great cook. I wasn’t anywhere as good as Levi. But, he liked my attempts and I knew how to follow a recipe._

After the pancakes were placed on the table, I couldn’t help but feel giddy at the presents I needed to give him. Now, I was never good at keeping surprises from him. So, I decided to change up my plans a little bit and give him his presents first. I carefully carried them and slowly opened up the bedroom door. “Levi, I got some presents for the--” I started to say with a smile until the door opened up all the way. I froze, I dropped the presents on the ground and my face completely fell. Levi was in bed with another man. In OUR bed with some blonde guy. The stranger was covered up and was looking down. Levi’s eyes were wide and I swear I started to see red. I didn’t have anything to say and I started to walk away, but Levi jumped out of bed. He was in his boxers and he grabbed my arm.

“Eren, wait please. Let me explain.”

“Explain!? Explain what!? You’re in bed with another guy! There’s nothing to explain!” I started to cry, I tightly curled up my fist. I didn’t want him to see me crying. “I was gone for one fucking night. To prepare your birthday stuff. And you looked at that as an opportunity!” I wouldn’t look at him. I couldn’t look at him.

“Eren no, I...Yes...I was cheating. But, I called--”

“How long?”

“What? Eren please let me--”

“No, fuck that. You’ve had time to tell me. How long has this been going on?”

“...A few months now. Eren listen…”

“What? What could you possibly have to tell me!?” 

“I told him that I wasn’t going to do that anymore. I was going to tell you. He just, he came over last night to talk and…”

“Last time I checked, you don’t have to get naked to talk. Let go of me.” I told him and jerked my arm away. I marched into the living room, Levi was following closely. I started to put all my art supplies into their cases and gather up everything I’d be able to carry in one trip to my car. 

“Eren...What are you doing?”

“I’m leaving. What does it look like?”

“Eren please, don’t. You don’t need to...We’ll...We’ll work it out.” He was started to plead as I slipped my shoes and coat back on.

“No. Fuck that. I’ve been trying to work it out for months now, but here I find out you were seeing someone else. I’m leaving. You can have that stupid portrait I painted for you and the other present.” I was shaking so badly as I picked up my things, they almost tumbled out of my hands. But, I managed to grab them before they hit the ground. “Enjoy the pancakes.” I said and I went to open the door and had trouble doing so. “Can you at least open the damn door for me!?” I raised my voice, I was starting to cry harder and I just wanted out of there. My throat felt like it was closing and I couldn’t breathe. I needed out of that damn house. But, instead he just stood there. He stood there and stared at me for a long moment, in silence.

“Eren…” He whispered. And I think we both knew in that moment, that if he opened that door for me to leave that I wouldn’t be back. That I was done. I was done trying. I loved him dearly, but I couldn’t trust him. Not when he lied straight to me countless times. He knew that he broke us too much to be fixed. But, as long as I was in that house, we still had a chance. We had some sort of chance. Maybe one in a million, but it was still a chance. A chance that wouldn’t be there if he opened the door for me. I didn’t say anything, I couldn’t trust my voice to speak. And not only that, but I had never felt so uncertain in my life. I knew what I needed to do. But, that wasn’t what my heart wanted. My heart wanted me to let him hold me in his arms. I wanted him to tell me everything would be okay and have us work everything out. But, that just...wasn’t possible. “Eren, I don’t think you should drive…” He whispered. That was the only thing he had to tell me? Not to drive. Not that he loved me. Not that he didn’t want me to leave. But, that he didn’t think I should drive. 

I gritted my teeth and let out a breath. “Levi. Open the door.” I told him as calmly as my broken voice could manage and I looked up. I locked eyes with him. The same eyes that I saw so much love for me, now I couldn’t see anything but all the pain he has put on me. He had his hand on the doorknob. I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t stand to look at the man that once meant so much to me, that would now end up being the man that broke me. I closed my eyes and let the tears fall and I was going to tell him that I would call him or something and maybe we would talk in a few days after I felt a little better. But, before I could even start bargaining. Before he even let me start to save what was left of us. I felt the cold winter air make it into the house. I opened my eyes to see that he opened the door and we locked eyes for the last time. He was letting me go. He was going to let me walk out. We both knew that I wouldn’t try to contact him. We both knew that he hurt me too much for that. And...We also both knew that he wouldn’t try to salvage anything, either. This was the end. This was goodbye. “...Goodbye Levi.” I whispered and made my way out to my car. And that’s when the real water works started. 

_That brings us to the present. I’m still staying with Mikasa, until I figure things out. It’s been a few months now and I haven’t heard a single thing from Levi and he hasn’t heard a thing for me. I had now officially gotten rid of everything I had left of us. My wedding ring was the only thing I had left, and that was put up in the closet. I couldn’t bare to lose it. But, I also didn’t want to see it again._

_I sighed as I sat down at my desk. I had already started to file for a divorce. There was no reason for me to believe we would ever work things out. We haven’t spoken in so long, there was no way I could be that naive. I sucked in a deep breath as I stared down at the blank canvas. Maybe Mikasa was right and I should paint out my feelings. So, I picked up my brush and I started to cover the canvas in red._


End file.
